Vance Iran Negotiations, Israel-Lebanon Talks, Artemis II Return To Earth

Summary

Up First – April 10, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on three main stories:

1. Vice President J.D. Vance leading U.S. negotiations to end the war with Iran
2. The aftermath of Israel's devastating attacks in Lebanon and the start of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon
3. The Artemis II crew’s historic return journey to Earth after traveling further into space than any humans before

With reporting and analysis from NPR correspondents, the episode delves into each headline, providing context, on-the-ground perspectives, and expert commentary.

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1. U.S.-Iran War Negotiations: VP J.D. Vance in the Spotlight

Key Points & Analysis

• J.D. Vance Leads U.S. Delegation:
  Vice President Vance, known for his anti-interventionist stance, heads the U.S. team in Islamabad, Pakistan, pursuing an end to decades of U.S.-Iran hostilities.

  • “It’s a big role for an Iraq war veteran whose political brand included opposition to American wars in the Middle East.” (Layla Fadel, 01:58)

• The “Classic VP Trap”:
  President Trump put Vance in a challenging position:

  • “So if it doesn't happen, I'm blaming J.D. Vance.” (President Trump, quoted by Steve Inskeep, 03:19)
  • “If it does happen, I'm taking full credit.” (President Trump, quoted by Carrie Khan, 03:23)
    This dynamic underscores both Trump’s penchant for claiming wins and his aversion to taking blame.

• Negotiation Hurdles:

  • Disagreement on Ceasefire Terms & Strait of Hormuz: The two sides can’t even agree on whether the crucial Strait is open, and there's confusion about conditions on the ground (Danielle Kurtzleben, 03:36).
  • Enriched Uranium Red Line:
    The U.S. insists Iran must relinquish enriched uranium, but Trump himself has publicly “waffled” on the issue—at one point saying he doesn’t “even care about the uranium,” and even floated possible U.S.-Iran mining cooperation (Danielle Kurtzleben, 04:04).
  • Lack of Diplomatic Experience:
    “He doesn't have a lot of international experience…he’s been less than diplomatic in the lead up to these negotiations.” (Danielle Kurtzleben, 04:37)

• Memorable Quote:
  On his Iranian counterpart:

  • “I actually wonder how good he is at understanding English, because there are things that he said that frankly didn't make sense in some of the context of the negotiations we've had.” (J.D. Vance, relayed by Danielle Kurtzleben, 04:51)

Notable Segment

• Why was Vance chosen to lead? [02:21–03:19]
• Trump’s "VP trap" joke [03:19–03:26]
• Negotiation complications [03:36–04:34]

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2. Israel-Lebanon: War Escalation and the Push for Direct Talks

Key Points & Analysis

• Deadly Attack in Beirut:
  Israel launched its deadliest strike of the war—over 300 civilians killed in Beirut alone, often without warning, and many far from known Hezbollah strongholds (Layla Fadel, 05:28).

• Pressure for Diplomacy:

  • Iran’s foreign ministry threatened to boycott peace talks unless the Lebanon issue was addressed in the ceasefire.
  • President Trump told PM Netanyahu to “go low key” in Lebanon; Israel agreed to direct negotiations (Carrie Khan, 06:21).

• Historic First, Daunting Obstacles:

  • Direct talks between Israel and Lebanon will happen in Washington at the ambassador level, unprecedented since 1948.
  • Beirut’s government is weak and has minimal control over Hezbollah—a major complicating factor.
  • “Last night a Hezbollah representative said that it rejects outright direct talks with Israel. So it is going to be tough.” (Carrie Khan, 07:36)

• Israeli Public Sentiment:

  • Israelis near the Lebanon border are resistant to a ceasefire unless Hezbollah is decisively subdued.
  • “If Israel were to stop right now, what was the point of the whole war?” — Luci Yousef, general manager of Shlomi (Carrie Khan, 08:18)
  • “In a few months Hezbollah will just be back rearmed and fighting will resume again as it always does.” (Carrie Khan, 08:26)

• Netanyahu’s Messaging:

  • Publicly, Netanyahu reassures Israelis he is not backing down:
  • “We are still striking Hezbollah with great force and we won't stop until we restore your security.” (Carrie Khan, 08:42)
  • Contradiction with Trump’s call to “low key” military actions.

Notable Segment

• Explanation of Israel-Lebanon negotiation context [06:21–07:49]
• Israeli & Lebanese perspectives [07:49–08:32]
• Netanyahu’s statement to Israelis [08:42–09:00]

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3. Artemis II: Historic Return to Earth

Key Points & Analysis

• Mission Recap:
  Artemis II crew, the farthest humans have traveled into space, are preparing for reentry and splashdown near California after a 10-day journey (Layla Fadel, 09:19).

• Dramatic Reentry Sequence:

  • The capsule must slow from 25,000 mph to 20 mph in 13 critical minutes; at points the capsule endures 5,000°F.
  • “I'm going to tell you it's 13 minutes of things that have to go right…we have a whole checklist…” — Jeff Ratigan, flight director (Brendan Byrne, 10:03)

• Temporary Communication Blackout:

  • Mission control will be out of contact for six of the thirteen minutes during reentry, heightening tension (Brendan Byrne, 10:14).

• Tested Heat Shield, Added Risks:

  • Previous uncrewed flight revealed the heat shield didn’t work as intended.
  • NASA’s solution was a “steeper and faster” reentry to minimize time spent in extreme heat.
  • “Let's not beat around the bush. We have to hit that angle correctly, otherwise we're not going to have a successful reentry.” — Jeff Ratigan (Danielle Kurtzleben, 11:52)

• Astronaut Perspective:

  • “When returning from space, mission pilot Victor Glover called it like riding a fireball through the atmosphere…There’s so much data…so many more stories, and gosh, I haven’t even begun to process what we’ve been through.” (Brendan Byrne, 10:42)

• Recovery Operations:

  • The USS John P. Murtha is ready for pickup; astronauts will exit onto a raft dubbed “the porch,” and then return to Houston for debrief and analysis (Brendan Byrne, 12:00).

Notable Segment

• Step-by-step description of reentry and recovery [09:39–12:31]
• Engineer’s and astronaut’s perspectives [10:03–11:58]

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “So if it doesn't happen, I'm blaming J.D. Vance. If it does happen, I'm taking full credit.”
  — President Trump, recalled by Steve Inskeep & Carrie Khan [03:19–03:26]

• “I actually wonder how good he is at understanding English, because there are things that he said that frankly didn't make sense…”
  — Vice President J.D. Vance on Iranian parliament speaker [04:51]

• “Last night a Hezbollah representative said that it rejects outright direct talks with Israel. So it is going to be tough.”
  — Carrie Khan [07:36]

• "If Israel were to stop right now, what was the point of the whole war?...In a few months Hezbollah will just be back rearmed and fighting will resume again as it always does."
  — Luci Yousef (border town manager), relayed by Carrie Khan [08:18–08:26]

• “We have to hit that angle correctly, otherwise we’re not going to have a successful reentry.”
  — Jeff Ratigan, Artemis II flight director [11:52]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Vance, Iran, and the Trump “trap”: [01:51–05:23]
• Lebanon Negotiations & Israeli Public: [05:24–09:08]
• Artemis II Return Procedures: [09:16–12:36]

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Overall Tone

The episode maintains NPR’s trademark blend of direct reporting and analytical depth, combining urgency (crises in the Middle East, a risky space reentry) with moments of dry humor (Trump’s VP “trap”), and human interest (astronaut reflections, civilian experiences).

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This summary captures the key developments, significant quotes, and nuanced context behind each of today's headlines, providing a clear guide to the episode’s content for anyone who missed it.

Transcript

[Layla Falden]

Vice President J.D. vance leads U.S. negotiations to end a war he reportedly never wanted.

[Steve Inskeep]

President Trump says Vance gets the blame if he fails, and Trump takes the credit if he succeeds, which sounds like a joke, but is it?

[Layla Falden]

I'm Layla Falden. That's Steven Skeep. And this is up first from NPR News. President Trump told Israel's prime minister to, quote, go low key in its attacks on Lebanon after it killed hundreds of hundreds in one day. Israel agreed to negotiations with Lebanon, its neighbor and enemy since 1948. But can there be progress when the Lebanese government is weak and has little control over the political and armed group Hezbollah?

[Steve Inskeep]

Also, the Artemis 2 crew is returning from a journey around the moon. They plan to splash down near California tonight after traveling farther into space than any humans in history. Stay with us. We'll give you the news from around the world and a bit beyond.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

This message comes from Bayer. Science is a rigorous process that requires questions, testing, transparency and results that can be proven. This approach is integral to every breakthrough. Bayer brings forward, innovations that save lives and feed the world. ScienceDelivers.com this message comes from Capital One with the Venture X card. Earn unlimited double miles, a $300 annual Capital One travel credit and access to airport lounges. Capital One what's in your wallet?

[Brendan Byrne]

Terms apply [e-mail] this message comes from NPR sponsor Carvana. Carvana believes selling your car should be refreshingly simple. Enter your license plate or vin, get a real offer down to the penny and schedule a pickup on your time. No surprises. Sell your car [e-mail] Pickup fees may apply.

[Steve Inskeep]

This weekend's negotiations to end the war with Iran puts some pressure on Vice President J.D. vance.

[Layla Falden]

Yeah. Vance is to lead the U.S. team that will meet for talks in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. It's a big role for an Iraq war veteran whose political brand included opposition to American wars in the Middle East. His task now is to bring together two countries that have been enemies for almost half a century.

[Steve Inskeep]

NPR White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben is covering the story. Danielle, good morning.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Hey, good morning.

[Steve Inskeep]

Why would the White House send J.D. vance to negotiate?

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Well, you know, he's been asked how he got pulled into all these negotiations and specifically if those previous non interventionist statements you all mentioned, if those might be a reason why he's been involved. And he's also been asked if Iranians requested that he be in negotiations. Vance responded to all of that by demurring, saying he'd be surprised if that's true. He really tried to downplay his role here, saying that he just thought he could make a difference, that that's why he's there. But it has been reported that Vance was initially, within this administration, a loud voice against this war. So there's some logic to him playing a part in trying to end it. Not to mention that if he wants to run for, say, the presidency in 2028, he'd probably like to be able to say he helped end a conflict that a lot of people disliked. But all of that said, Trump laid out a sort of classic vice presidential trap last week at an Easter breakfast. Here's what he had to say about peace negotiations.

[Steve Inskeep]

So if it doesn't Happen, I'm blaming J.D. vance.

[Carrie Khan]

If it does happen, I'm taking full credit.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

You know, it sounds jokey, but Trump does love claiming a win, and he doesn't like taking responsibility for losses.

[Steve Inskeep]

What is going to make it tough for Vance to get to a win here?

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Well, he's trying to broker a permanent peace between parties that don't even agree on what the current ceasefire is. For example, a big goal is to make sure the Strait of Hormuz is open. But that strait doesn't appear to be fully open right now, even after the ceasefire. And where things stand there has been really unclear. Trump this week even floated the idea of the US And Iran together charging fees for ships to pass through, though he didn't explain any further how that would work. And that said, though, yesterday on social media, Trump posted that Iran better not be his words charging tankers right now to pass through. But besides the straight there's enriched uranium. Press Secretary Caroline Levitt has said it's a red line that Iran turned that over. But that's after President Trump has waffled on that issue. Last week, he said in an interview that he doesn't even care about the uranium. And again, here, Trump has floated the idea of cooperating on social media. This week, he suggested the US And Iran dig up uranium together.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay, so how do you think Vance is likely to take up that challenge?

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Well, we don't have a track record to look at. Prior to being the vp, Vance was a senator from Ohio and only for two years. So he doesn't have a lot of international experience, but he's been less than diplomatic in the lead up to these negotiations. We can say that because when asked about accusations from the speaker of Iran's parliament that the US had violated points of the ceasefire this week, Vance had this to say about that speaker. I actually wonder how good he is at understanding English, because there are things that he said that frankly didn't make sense in some of the, in the context of the negotiations that we've had. Now, that doesn't mean Vice President Vance will be disagreeable or anything at the negotiating table, but it does show that, like his boss, he can be harsh.

[Steve Inskeep]

NPR's Daniel Kurtzleben, thanks so much for the insights. Really appreciate it.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Thank you.

[Steve Inskeep]

Now the ceasefire is showing immense signs of stress.

[Layla Falden]

Yeah, that's especially true because it's not a ceasefire at all in Lebanon. Israel says Lebanon's not part of the deal. And Wednesday it launched its deadliest attacks of the entire war, including on densely populated civilian areas of Beirut, far from places known as Hezbollah strongholds. Many of those strikes came with no warning for civilians and killed more than 300 people today. Lebanese are still pulling their dead from the rubble, and Israel has issued new evacuation orders. Under pressure from President Trump and other leaders, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will enter into direct talks with Lebanon.

[Steve Inskeep]

How is that supposed to help? We go to NPR's Carrie Khan in Tel Aviv to explain. Carrie, welcome.

[Carrie Khan]

Hi. Good morning.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay, so I get that they're longtime enemies, these two neighbors, and it's a big deal for Israel to talk to Lebanon's government. So first, what brought that about?

[Carrie Khan]

Prime Minister Netanyahu is facing quite a pressure campaign. Iran's Foreign Ministry says it won't be involved in overall peace talks that are going to be held in Pakistan on Saturday unless this Lebanon issue is part of the ceasefire agreement. Trump is telling Netanyahu to pull back. And speaking to NBC, Trump said Netanyahu got the message and is, quote, going to low key it. A person briefed on the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly tells NPR that Israel has agreed to reduce its military act activity and that talks will take place directly between Israel and Lebanon at the ambassador levels. And that will happen in Washington. We don't know exactly when. So as you said, this is a huge deal. The two countries have never had negotiations directly like this before.

[Steve Inskeep]

Huge deal. But I'm trying to understand this as an outsider. Israel is fighting with Hezbollah, this armed group in Lebanon, which is not exactly the same as the Lebanese government with whom the Israelis are going to talk about.

[Carrie Khan]

Right. So talks are going to be difficult for sure. Israel and Lebanon have been in a perpetual state of war since Israel's establishment in 1948. Lebanon's government is very weak right now and doesn't have much control over Hezbollah. Hezbollah, it does hold seats in the government. Few. But they always say that The Lebanese leadership and the government doesn't speak for them. And last night a Hezbollah representative said that it rejects outright direct talks with Israel. So it is going to be tough.

[Steve Inskeep]

You're reporting from Israel. Do Israelis want a ce?

[Carrie Khan]

Well, I just got back from the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon and I heard repeatedly in those communities that have been hit hard by Hezbollah rockets that they don't want Israel to stop until they say Hezbollah is finished once and for all. I heard that a lot, including from the general manager of the border town of Shlomi. His name is Luci Yousef. And he said if Israel were to stop right now, what was the point of the whole war?

[Brendan Byrne]

It looks like there's no big achievement.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

We are in the same, almost the same place as we were about 40 days ago.

[Carrie Khan]

And he says in a few months Hezbollah will just be back rearmed and fighting will resume again as it always does.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay, key player here, obviously, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has signaled that he's willing to back off a little bit in Lebanon. What is he telling his own people?

[Carrie Khan]

He put out a video last night saying, look, don't worry, I am not backing down. He said there is no ceasefire in Lebanon. We are still striking Hezbollah with great force and we won't stop until we restore your security.

[Steve Inskeep]

That doesn't sound like he's low keying it, to use President Trump's phrase, not at all. NPR's Carrie Khan is in Tel Aviv. Carrie, thanks so much.

[Carrie Khan]

You're welcome.

[Steve Inskeep]

Okay, the Artemis 2 crew is coming back to Earth.

[Layla Falden]

The four astronauts launched from Kennedy Space center in Florida nearly 10 days ago after a mission around the moon and back. They're set to splash down near California tonight.

[Steve Inskeep]

Just an amazing story that's unfolded over the last couple of weeks. Brendan Byrne of Central Florida Public Media has been covering the whole thing and he's on with us again. Good morning.

[Brendan Byrne]

Good morning, Steve.

[Steve Inskeep]

How do the astronauts get home?

[Brendan Byrne]

So the crew has been preparing their cabin for reentry for a bit now. They're packing all of their stuff up. They're putting their seats back in place place pulling out their spacesuits. They're going to hit the Earth's atmosphere about 25,000 miles per hour. Could experience temperatures, yeah, it's fast experience temperatures up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Jeff Ratigan, Artemis 2 lead flight director, says the whole process will take only about 13 minutes.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

But I'm going to tell you it's 13 minutes of things that have to go right is the Way I think about it, you know, I have a whole checklist in my head that we, you know, we're going through of all the things that have to happen.

[Brendan Byrne]

All the things that have to happen include blowing the top off the capsule so that a series of parachutes can deploy. Those parachutes will slow them down to just 20 miles per hour and they'll splash down in the Pacific. Now, I should add mission control will lose contact with the crew for six of those 13 minutes during the reentry process.

[Steve Inskeep]

Suspenseful six minutes, I'm sure. 5,000 degree temperatures. Okay, there's a heat shield slowing from 25,000 miles an hour down to 20. How risky is all of this, Steve?

[Brendan Byrne]

There's always a risk. When returning from space, mission pilot Victor Glover called it like riding a fireball through the atmosphere. Speaking from the Orion spacecraft, Glover said that he had been thinking about this portion of the mission since he was selected for it back in 2023, and he's been looking forward to it ever since. We have to get back. There's so much data that you've seen already, but all the good stuff is coming back with us. There's so many more pictures, so many more stories, and gosh, I haven't even begun to process what we've been through. One thing to keep in mind, what you mentioned, Steve, is the heat shield. This is the piece of hardware beneath the capsule that protects the crew from those extreme temperatures during RE entry. Well, NASA tested it on the uncrewed mission that came before this one, and they found the heat shield wasn't performing as designed. So NASA and the Artemis II crew worked on a way to mitigate the risk.

[Steve Inskeep]

What was the solution?

[Brendan Byrne]

Well, the solution was to hit the atmosphere steeper and faster. Wow. Sounds kind of like the opposite of what you should do, right? But by approaching this reentry that way, the crew will spend less time in those really energetic moments of return. And that should keep the crew safe. Ratigan says as long as they get that initial approach just right.

[Danielle Kurtzleben]

Let's not beat around the bush. We have to hit that angle correctly, otherwise we're not going to have a successful RE entry.

[Steve Inskeep]

And then what happens once they get down, I mean.

[Brendan Byrne]

Well, there's a recovery team stationed on the USS John P. Murtha that will head out to the capsule. They'll deploy a raft just outside the hatch, which they're calling the porch, and pull the astronauts out. They'll head back to the transport ship and then hitch a ride to the Johnson Space center in Houston. Their capsule will be scooped up out of the water, then trekked across the country, returning it here to Florida's Space coast in about two weeks. Remember, this is a test flight, so engineers are going to be picking apart the spacecraft to see how it performed and make any necessary changes ahead of the next mission, Artemis 3, which NASA wants to launch next year.

[Steve Inskeep]

I'm just enjoying the idea they're going to be stepping out onto the porch. Brendan, thanks so much.

[Brendan Byrne]

Anytime, Steve.

[Steve Inskeep]

That's Brendan Byrne from Central Florida Public Media. He hosts the Space podcast Are We There Yet? And that's up first for this Friday, April 10th. I'm Steve Inskeep.

[Layla Falden]

And I'm Lela Falden. Today's episode of up first was edited by Rebecca Metzler, Jerry Holmes, Amina Khan Mohammed, Dino Vardisi and Taylor Haney. It was produced by Ziad Butch and Ava Pukach. Our director is Katie Klein. We get engineering support from Nisha Hynes. And our technical director is Carly Strange. Our executive producer is Jay Shaylor. Join us again on Monday.

[Carrie Khan]

Foreign.

[Brendan Byrne]

Amazon prime members can listen to up first sponsor free through Amazon Music, or you can also support NPR's vital journalism and get NPR [e-mail] that's plus.NPR.org.